1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a vacuum cleaner, and more particularly, to a cyclone dust-collecting apparatus and a vacuum cleaner having the same.
2. Description of the Related Art
In general, a cyclone dust-collecting apparatus is used in a bag-less vacuum cleaner to draw in dirt-laden air, generate a whirling current in the dirt-laden air to separate the dirt from the air using a centrifugal force generated by the whirling current.
FIG. 1 is a view schematically illustrating a conventional cyclone dust-collecting apparatus applied to a vacuum cleaner.
As shown in FIG. 1, the cyclone dust-collecting apparatus 1 comprises a cyclone separator or cyclone body 10, a suction part 11 for drawing in air therethrough, a discharge part 12 for discharging dirt-removed air therethrough, a grill 13 connected to the discharge part 12, and a dirt receptacle 14 for collecting and storing dirt therein.
Operation of the cyclone dust-collecting apparatus 1 is as follows.
Dirt-laden air is drawn in from a cleaning surface by a vacuum motor (not shown) of the vacuum cleaner and guided to the cyclone body 10 through the suction part 11.
Since the suction part 11 is connected tangentially to an inner circumference of the cyclone body 10, the air guided to the cyclone body 10 whirls along the inner circumference of the cyclone body 10 in the arrow direction as shown in FIG. 2 so that dirt is centrifugally separated from the air.
The dirt centrifugally separated from the air by the whirling current is guided by the inner circumference of the cyclone body 10 and falls down to the dirt receptacle 14 via a communication space 15 disposed between the cyclone body 10 and the dirt receptacle 14 by the whirling current and gravity.
Air having the dirt removed therefrom is filtered through perforations 16 of the grill 13 connected to the discharge part 12 and discharged from the cyclone dust-collecting apparatus 1 through the discharge part 12.
The cyclone dust-collecting apparatus 1 has a circular flange 17 formed under the grill 13 to prevent the dirt collected in the dirt receptacle 14 from being scattered by the whirling current and sucked into the grill 13 through the perforations 16.
If the air drawn in through the suction part 11 includes a heavy dirt item having a predetermined weight such as a coin or a bottle cap, the heavy dirt item does not directly fall down to the dirt receptacle 14 via the communication space 15 and rotates together with the whirling current onto the flange 17. As a result, the heavy dirt item is brought into contact with the flange 17, which causes an objectionable noise.
If a dirt mass having a predetermined size such as a dust ball or a dust hair is formed while the air whirls along the inner circumference of the cyclone body 10, the dirt mass is too big to directly fall down to the dirt receptacle 14 via the communication space 15, and thus rotates together with the whirling current onto the flange 17. At this time, microscopic particulates of dust are scattered from the dirt mass when the dirt mass collides the flange 17, and go back to the whirling current along the inner circumference of the cyclone body 10. Consequently, the microscopic particulates of dust may be discharged from the cyclone dust-collecting apparatus 1 to the outside through the perforations 16 of the grill 13, which causes a deterioration of the dust-collection efficiency of the dust-collecting apparatus 1.
In order to solve the above problems, another conventional cyclone dust-collecting apparatus 1′ as shown in FIG. 3 is suggested. The cyclone dust-collecting apparatus 1′ has a cut-off part 19 formed in a flange 17′. This cyclone dust-collecting apparatus 1′ is advantages in that the heavy dirt item or the dirt mass is collected in the dirt receptacle 14 rapidly. However, it cannot completely solve the problems of the noise and the deterioration of the dust-collection efficiency. More specifically, since the flange 17′ having the cut-off part 19 has a plane structure and the heavy dirt item or the dirt mass has an inertia that continues rotating, even if it has a predetermined weight or a predetermined size, it falls down to the dirt receptacle 14 through the cut-off part 19 after jumping over the cut-off part 19 and rotating around the flange 17′ one or two times. As a result, the heavy dirt item or the dirt mass is brought into contact with the flange 17′ until it falls down to the dirt receptacle 14 through the cut-off part 19, which causes a noise or microscopic particulates of dust to be scattered.